


Parallax

by dream_fixedunit (Es_per)



Series: Multidimensional Jeongin (independent works) [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: (just bc they are students), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Ambiance & Atmosphere, Creepy, Easy MV, Easy MV AU, Friendship, Gen, Hide and Seek, Horror, No romantic ships, Platonic Relationships, Some Humor, They're all friends, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, because i like writing that, but it's mainly scary, everyone loves jeongin and they all call him Innie, hyunsung bickering but for fun, i like it and i'm proud of this fic :), not graphic but it's eerie and i try to be scary, some refs to the whole MVs lore if you look closely hehe, the moon appears a lot, there are a lot of descriptions, very minor edit in the end bc i thought of smth creepier, you can tell chan is my bias by the way i write him agajshsj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25528903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Es_per/pseuds/dream_fixedunit
Summary: parallax [ˈpærəlæks]:the effect by which the position or direction of an object appears to change when the object is seen from different positions.On a hot July evening, eight boys decide to ditch self-study and go explore an abandoned school in the woods. Jeongin wants to believe he's just imagining things.
Relationships: Everyone & Everyone, Yang Jeongin | I.N & Everyone
Series: Multidimensional Jeongin (independent works) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035360
Comments: 9
Kudos: 25





	Parallax

**Author's Note:**

> An Easy MV AU but only because they fool around an abandoned school, wear school uniforms and there's a green filter camera.  
> I really wanted to try my hand at writing atmosphere and conveying an ambiance, especially an eerie one since I never thought I could write anything remotly scary. But I'm pretty satisfied with it and I loved writing this fic! 
> 
> Very loosely inspired by verivery's [Tag Tag Tag MV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmoAEvF_YAc), and [this cool fanart](https://hyll-a.tumblr.com/post/623100682570989568/its-so-easy).
> 
> I hope you have a good time reading this as well, maybe at night with a dark ambient playlist~ (I listened to Tengll's "elevator music between two worlds.exe" on 8tracks during writing)  
> Since it's a first for me, I'd really appreciate if you could tell me if you liked it and what scared you (if anything did)! :)

The glass door creaks ominously when pushed. Eight boys step in file in the damp silence, threatening to shatter it with their suppressed chuckles and muffled conversations.  
They fan out once in the entry hall and study the place that spreads before their eyes. It’s just the slightest dark, the soon-setting sun still shining through the glass doors and providing them with much needed light. It reveals the bare cement walls, the sparse ivy latching onto the cracks and cascading in unruly ropes to their feet, the dust flickering through the chilly air. Breathing in brings whiffs of moss and loneliness, so they huddle close together.

They aren’t regretting it yet, skipping self-study time for once to go explore the old abandoned school in the woods. Seungmin has offered them the excuse of filming a documentary for peace of mind, but truth is they’re just frantic for semester break and their oldest need a breather from SAT study. As if giving them extra cover, Jeongin has brought the cinema club camcorder and is gushing over the night vision mode, for now useless.

So there they are, fresh from school in their uniforms ruffled by the jogging and the excited rushing through the bushes surrounding the famous abandoned school, left to decay since at least a decade. They don’t really remember whose idea it was but they all agreed it was more entertainment than another countless night of studying at the library.  
It’s a little past 7PM, they still have an hour before the sun sets, but already the cold building provides relief from the hot July weather and the boys don’t mind a little creepiness for that.

Their footsteps echo through the empty space as Chan leads the way and Jeongin brings up the rear, intently filming the backs of his friends and sometimes switching to shots of bare walls and jumbled piles of rubble. Sunlight illuminates holes in the ground, broken wooden floors, ancient blackboards with remnant of calculus written in white chalk. When they enter a classroom, the sliding door resists a bit then opens with a squeaking noise, and sun pours through the tall windows, lingering over empty desks and chairs arranged at random.

It’s a bit like their own school, only victim of outdated design, and Jeongin makes sure to capture that footage. When they walk from class to class or in the corridor, dozens of glass panels filter the light so it’s not even that dark, similar to an underbridge where they could go skate.

Jisung snickers at some dumb graffiti probably left by previous explorers -or by very daring students, and a lone plastic bag drifts through the breeze close to the ground.  
It’s not boring, but it’s not very interesting either. It’s just a decaying school that nature has been slowly reclaiming. Nevertheless, they pursue upstairs.

The stairs creak dangerously beneath their feet and they proceed with caution on the humid wood falling apart in places. The heel of their shoes digs into the rotten bark if they press too hard, and Felix lets out a small yelp when a plank of wood gives out under him, he reaches for the wall and for Changbin’s extended hand. Their friends upstairs give him a look of concern and panic, before relaxing and joining in Felix’s laughter.

They continue like this for the rest of the building. All the classrooms look the same except for the teachers’ room where they feel much satisfaction in sitting on the desks, messing with the remaining office supplies and playing pretend. In the janitor’s closet they find a mice nest, and fungi has started to grow in the cupboard and sink of the infirmary.

When they reach the last room on the third floor, the light is slowly declining.  
The boys watch the sun set behind the classroom windows, curtains fluttering in the light wind and the sky slowly turning orange, then purple, then dark.  
That’s when it settles in: they’re in the school at night. Of course it’s not rare since their usual school day ends at 10PM but well, this is… this is different.

“Hm…” Jeongin breaks the silence and his voice rings through the classroom. “What now? We’ve seen everything and it’s getting dark, should we go back?”

“Dude, no way.” Jisung shakes his head. “What do you think we got those for?” he turns on the flashlight of his phone right in Minho’s face, who winces and slaps him on the arm, to which Jisung giggles.

“It’s more fun at night.” Seungmin approves and they all nod. “Plus we’ve still got time before going home.”

“Okay, but what should we do then? I don’t mind trying to explore more but we’ve seen it all, no?” Felix wonders.

As often in those situations, they all turn to Chan. Their eldest hyung is holding his phone under his chin, the light casting shadows under his brow in a sinister manner. He then comically grins:

“Why don’t we play hide and seek? It’s the perfect place.”

“What, no,” Hyunjin suddenly protests and runs a hand on his neck at the inquiring gazes on him. “I’m tired of all the walking though…”

Chan frowns, partly from being rejected and partly out of sympathy for his friends who suddenly all seem to become aware of the tiredness in their muscles, then claps his hands in illumination:

“Okay! Why don’t we all… rest for a bit?” He smiles at the sighs of relief around him. “We can all go to the gym, there’s enough space for us to sprawl on the ground. Plus we haven’t seen it yet.”

The boys nod and they all make way to the stairs. This time Jeongin also walks behind, playing with the night vision mode of his camera.

When they get to the gym, the once shining waxed floor is now decrepit and the curtains to the stage are in tatters. The first stars timidly start to shine through the high windows, but it’s a bit dark now.

They all sit in circle on the stage because the wood is in surprisingly better (not by much) shape there, and Chan produces two water bottles and snacks from his backpack. As they pass around and the boys munch on them, Felix stretches, Jeongin still plays with the camera and sticks the lens in Hyunjin’s mouth, who growls for good measure.

None of them really want to go home early because that would be admitting to their parents that they’ve ditched self-study, so they decide to kill some time here. In that regard, Changbin surprises everyone when he announces:

“So who’s up for scary stories?”

“Ohh, you’ve got my attention.” Jisung lays down on his stomach and rests his chin in his hands.

“Don’t pretend you’re not a coward.” Minho nudges him and Jisung’s eyes widen in outrage.

“Not at all! I’m very brave you know.”

“Yeah, sure.” Hyunjin scoffs and sits down next to him.

“You’re the one who was scared to play hide and seek.” Seungmin reminds him and Hyunjin frantically denies:

“No, I was tired!”

“Yeah, sure.” Felix smirks as he joins them on the floor.

Chan smiles. “How about we play hide and seek later to prove Felix wrong?”  
Hyunjin pouts but reluctantly agrees.

“You can hide with me, hyung.” Jeongin teases him and clings to his arm.

“Okay, who’s got a scary story?” Changbin is growing impatient.

“We… thought you did?” seven pairs of eyes blink back at him and a crow passes.

Once again, Chan steps in:

“Okay, have you heard about the elevator?”

Thirty minutes and two stories later, Jisung is clinging to Changbin for dear life, Chan is patting his back with an apologetic smile, Minho blinks unimpressed and Seungmin has resorted to fooling around with Jeongin’s camera, zooming in on Jisung’s terrified face “for the memories”.

“Aah, enough!!” Jisung springs up to his feet, fed up with being mocked. “You!” he points at Hyunjin who cocks an eyebrow and raises his hands defensively. “We’ll play hide and seek right now!”

“Okay,” Chan jumps on the occasion. “Let’s do it that way: everyone can split up and hide on the first floor. The woods and the upper floors are off limits. Sounds good?”

“I think Jeongin should be the one to look for us.” Minho suggests and gestures at the camera. “Won’t it look like good documentary material?”

“I’m in,” Changbin approves. “You okay with that Innie?”

Jeongin nods excitedly and they smile at his enthusiasm.

“Innie’s gonna count to 100 and then he’s going to look for us. Everyone should come back here when they’re found, okay?”

The boys all clamour words of agreement and Jeongin closes his eyes. He starts counting.

He hears running footsteps and swinging doors and muffled giggles and then nothing.

7, 8, 9, 10… it’s dark behind his eyelids.

30, 31, 32, 33… silence rings in his ears.

50, 51, 52, 53… a chilly breeze blows on his nape, making his hairs stand on end.

70, 71, 72, 73… he’s growing impatient and breathes out a heavy sigh.

95, 96, 97, 98… what was that?

100\. The world is dark when he opens his eyes. Jeongin fumbles with the camera and manages to hold it correctly. He scans his surroundings. Technically he could hold it in one hand and his phone in the other, but that would defeat the night vision purpose, right? Which is admittedly the coolest thing about that camera. The world is an odd green then.

He looks around the stage. The backstage is dark behind the dusty curtains, shadows swallowing every corner. He doesn’t think any of his friends would be stupid enough to hide right next to him.

His steps echo through the now empty gym as he heads for the doors, each sound vibrating from his feet along his bones to his ear.  
It’s just him and his breathing walking across the first floor. The wood seems to creak more loudly now. The moon glows outside through the countless windows, if he closes one eye he sees a second one. Jeongin feels too exposed, too obvious, too _seen_. Surely he won’t be able to sneak up on his friends like that.

The classroom door slides open too loudly and he winces but quickly scans the room. There’s a suspicious shadow underneath one table, bundled between the chair legs. He remembers that his friends actually can’t see him in the dark, and grins as he tiptoes to the desk. The window curtain ruffles between him and the wall and he refrains a chuckle when he hears the sound of a head bumping into the table and the soft grumble that ensues. It’s that moment he chooses to pounce, and quickly pulls out the chair and shoves his camera into Hyunjin’s face.

The boy screams and Jeongin laughs, white eyes staring back at him into the lens.

“Found you, hyung!” he sing-songs and Hyunjin holds a hand to his chest.

“Ah, Innie, you scared me so much…” he pants. “Good job. Am I the first one?”

Jeongin nods and he groans.

“So I’m gonna have to wait in the gym alone? Come on…”

His junior gives him a mischievous grin and he takes out his phone to activate the flashlight.

“Well at least I got this… Good luck Innie.” Hyunjin parts off to the gym.

Jeongin regains focuses and scans the room again. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else there so he gets out too. He doesn’t close the door behind him.

In the opposite classroom, he finds Jisung hiding behind the curtain with his feet sticking out. Jeongin pokes him in the side and his hyung jumps, earning a laughter.

“I-Innie, it’s you?” Jisung’s voice shakes and the cameraman makes sure to get it on tape.

He gives some explanation to Jisung, who then departs for the gym with his phone as a beacon. He thinks it’s funny how the two cowards end up both losing at this game and are now stranded in the gym alone. They will probably bicker to ease their nerves.

  
  


Jeongin feels a second of apprehension before entering the boys’ bathroom. Silly tales of toilet ghosts come to his mind and he does his best to pushes them away. He’s not a little kid anymore, no matter how his friends treat him, and one of them has to be hiding here.

He struggles not to spare a glance to the lineup of mirrors following his every move on his left. He looks at underneath the stall doors and pretends he does not fear noticing an extra pair of feet, or the reflection of a ghostly face staring at him in the tiled floor.

The window at the end of the room is broken and forest wind gushes in, whistling on the remaining shards of glass still clinging to the frame. Jeongin is not foolish enough to clamour “Is anyone here?” around, lest he received an answer. So he takes in a huge breath and starts slamming each door open, barely looking inside because he is focused on hearing a surprised gasp. Nothing, until one door doesn’t budge.

It’s pretty clear one of his friends is in there and oddly thought that would be the best course of action. Jeongin knocks on the door to signal he’s been found, but no response. Amused, he speaks:

“I know you’re in there, come out.”

His friend is stubborn because he still doesn’t open the door. Jeongin starts to think maybe he’s been wrong all along and that lock is broken with no one inside. But really, if he were playing he would definitely think of hiding in the bathroom.  
Just to be sure, he crouches down and does his best to peek the camera up under the door. He’s almost there when- the first door opens with a creaking noise that makes him jump.

“Innie?” Changbin’s familiar voice is like the Grace to his ears and his heartbeat calms down.

“Hyung.” Jeongin sighs in relief. “I got scared for a second.”

“Sorry about that.” the smaller one gives him a fond smile. “I heard you, but then nothing so I got worried. Why are you putting the camera down there? It’s gross.”

“I thought you were in there but the door is locked so…”

“Uh? No, I was in the second stall until you slammed it open so I climbed into the first one through the top opening.” Changbin explains with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Oh wow,” Jeongin comments as he stands up and brushes the dirt off his pants. “I didn’t see you at all, smart.”

“And since I’m so smart I’m not the first one to be found, right?”

“No, there’s Jisung-hyung and Hyunjin-hyung in the gym already.”

Changbin makes a sound that resembles a mocking whistle sucked through his teeth. He pats Jeongin’s shoulder and heads off.

Jeongin turns to the faucets and places the camera on the side of the sink. But of course, he realises there’s no water coming out to wash his hands. As he takes a breather, something catches the corner of his eye in the mirror.

“Uh? I thought that door was locked…”

  
  


The science room in their school is pretty creepy in its own right -Jeongin isn’t a fan of the animal embryos lining the shelves and he’s always found the science mannequin freaky, but this one wins the top bonus prize. Thankfully the specimen jars are empty, most of them cracked or broken, but the floor and shelves are stained with a dark and sticky substance that he doesn’t feel the need to stick his finger in.

The stars shine in on the dissection table, striking white in the darkness. The cold steel is rusty in some places, dirty spots smudging the smooth surface. Jeongin does not want to look at the mannequin standing creepily near the door he just went through, not in a million years. The previous students could have had the decency of hiding it under a drape but no, his eyes with exposed optic nerves stare at him and sear their gaze into his nape.

Not wanting to stay in that room a minute longer than necessary, Jeongin does the most logical thing: looking under the table. The camera latches onto the green tiling, the green metal bars that support the table, the green flat of the underside of the table. Not a single black outline to signify the presence of his friend. He reluctantly glances around the room but the cupboards and drawers leave no room for a human being, and once again it’s not like he enjoys it here, so he’s just going to-

A jar rolls to his feet and bumps into his shoe. Jeongin lets out a small yelp and jumps back away from the container. He looks up: all the jars are perfectly still and unmoved but this one rolled, he heard it-

A small chuckle hastily repressed tenses all the muscles in his body. Spinning around to face the sound, gripping the camera like a weapon, Jeongin sees a dark shadow between the open door and the wall. Drawing closer, he holds his breath, eyes and ears all intent.

Seungmin jumps out at the camera with a growl that in retrospect probably sounds adorable but in the moment only makes his heart stop.

Holding the light of his phone to his face, Seungmin holds his friend close:

“Hey it’s me, it’s me, don’t be scared.”

Jeongin starts breathing again and his heart regains a normal pace. He whines:

“Ah hyung, why would you do that? I’m the one supposed to scare you! Plus the bottle thing is really cliché.”

“What are you talking about? You shrieked out of nowhere.” Seungmin teases. “But sorry for jumping at you, are you okay?”

The boy slowly nods, swearing to himself that he will scare the remaining three. His friend gives him a brief hug and heads out for the gym, flashlight guiding his way.

  
  


Jeongin does not spare a minute longer to the room with a freaky mannequin and steps out in the corridor. He fights the stupid urge to run away from the science room, irrational thoughts spiralling in his mind, and focuses on the next target. There’s a lot more classrooms and he hopes he won’t have to search all of them.

The glint of the moon on the metal lockers catches his eye. Some of them still have a lock attached and others bear the mark of old stickers slowly fading away. He wonders what he could find inside. Some outdated school books left behind by negligence? A basketball, a tattered uniform? Anything to prove that this school was once alive.

One of the lockers in the middle row has something white sticking out of the corner. Upon closer inspection with the camera, it’s a piece of fabric stuck in the gap. Jeongin smiles and taps his fingers against the door. The cold metallic sound rings through the empty hallway and he starts scratching the surface at a slow, lazy pace.

“Open up…” he whispers in a scary tone barely containing the laughter bubbling in his chest.

“Open… UP!”

At those words he snatches the door open and there it is, a terrified shriek from none other than Lee Felix, professional contortionist curled up in the small enclosure.

“Found you, Felix-hyung!” Jeongin laughs at the blond clutching a hand to his heart. “I got your scream on tape, I didn’t know your voice could go so high as well!”

“Good job,” Felix half-heartedly compliments his scare. “You could be an actor in a haunted house, you know.”

“I can’t believe you were in there all this time!” The youngest marvels. “Didn’t it hurt a bit?”

“No, it’s actually quite comfortable.” Felix provides, still prying himself out of the locker.

The two freeze at the terrible sound of fabric being ripped apart, and they stare at each other wide-eyed.

“Hyung, your shirt.” Jeongin blinks.

“My mom’s gonna kill me.” Felix doesn’t.

“Maybe Chan-hyung could mend it for you if you ask.”

“Maybe. Not sure it’ll look very good though.” Felix sighs and picks up the piece of torn fabric from the door hinge before pocketing it. “Who’s left by the way?”

“Minho-hyung and Chan-hyung.” Jeongin thinks. “Any idea where they might be?”

“I ain’t telling.” Felix smirks and walks off after giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Jeongin scratches his neck, uncertain of the road to take. The others must be getting bored at the gym, and Seungmin might be telling more scary stories to tease Jisung. Chuckling at that thought, he proceeds down the hallway.

Now that the night has fallen and the game is drawing near its end, he has to notice how silent it all is. It weights on his shoulders and pushes at his back, forcing him to walk upright and never turning back. He’s not sure he’d want to.  
One of the classroom doors is open, a gentle breeze swaying the curtains as if an outreached hand for him to take. And he’d rather not, but what choice does he have?

All the curtains in that room are drawn open and because of the orientation of the building, the white moon basks in everything, rendering the night vision camera useless. Despite the light, it’s still not reassuring. No, all that light seems menacing in the way Jeongin stands out in the window reflection, in the way all the woods and bushes ruffle and whisper around him, only kept at bay by the weak glass pane.

Jeongin glances around each desk but doesn’t see anyone curled up between the legs of the neatly, perfectly arranged chairs. Compared to the rest of the school, this classroom is too neat. The lockers in the back are all closed, the desks exempt of any mindless graffiti a bored student would carve in with a compass, the geometry tools hang perfectly right to the side of the blackboard, which is pristine. He feels this is _wrong_. He swallows but there’s a lump in his throat and goosebumps start to prickle his skin. He tries to tell himself it’s the cold but who is he fooling, they’re in July.

Slowly, he approaches the teacher’s desk. He feels the hardness of the wood under his fingers, his breath coming out in shallow exhales and he cringes at each one for it’s too noisy. Still resting an arm on the top, Jeongin crouches down to look underneath the desk, in the space meant for the legs, but he freezes.

Sweat prickles his nape and his hairs stand on end. He shouldn’t, a voice says in the back of his mind. His heart is pounding so loud against his ribs they might break.

“Innie?”

Minho emerges from under the desk, a look of concern and uncertainty etched on his face.

“Are you okay?”

“M-Minho-hyung.” Jeongin states as if to confirm, to prove.

“I heard you coming near the desk but then you stopped, I was wondering what you were doing.” Minho explains and then smiles reassuringly. “You’ve found me!”

“Yeah.” He manages a weak smile. “You were really well hidden, hyung.”

“Not really, I just got lucky the first time you passed me here. But then you’ve come back.”

Jeongin’s breath hitches in his throat, but Minho pats his head and blinks like a cat.

“Am I the last one?”

“I have to find Chan-hyung.” Jeongin murmurs and stands up.

“Oh,” Minho sounds a bit disappointed but then smiles. “I’ll be waiting for you two in the gym then. Be careful Innie.”

But Jeongin doesn’t really listen. He has to find Chan. He leaves the classroom before Minho.

  
  


There’s not much else to cover, he searches a few rooms left but finds no one. He ends up reaching the bottom of the staircase, clueless. Where could Chan be? Has he missed something? There’s no way, he’s been thorough in his investigation, unless their oldest has been moving between hiding spots. That wouldn’t be very fair-play.

The space underneath the staircase is dark, a place the moonlight cannot reach, and Jeongin can only rely on his trusty camera. There’s no Chan here, only bare walls full of spiderwebs and an empty janitor’s closet. Jeongin grazes a hand along the wall, until suddenly he feels the cold smooth edges of a door handle.  
It’s a door, stuck into the wall underneath the staircase at the very end of the long hallway, so hidden in shadows that they hadn’t found it during their exploration. But probably Chan did, judging he’s not anywhere else.

Jeongin is surprised that the door opens so easily without any complaint. If it’s a staff room, as it most certainly is, shouldn’t it be locked so students can’t access it? But still, it opens on a flight of stairs descending into the darkness. He breathes out. If Chan is really in there, there’s no way he’s going without a light. So for the first time of the night, Jeongin takes out his phone and turns on the flashlight. It doesn’t light up very far ahead, but just enough for him not to miss a step.

Still, he hesitates. Maybe he’s missed a hiding spot. But he doesn’t feel like backtracking all the rooms, and only wants to be done with it soon for everyone’s sake.

One by one, with one arm against the wall since both his hands are full. The air smells musty and humid, and the stone is coarse against his skin. After what seems an eternity but is most probably 30 steps, Jeongin arrives in a small, low-ceiling room. It’s a basement filled with piles of cardboard boxes and whatever supplies a school might need. Broken neons dangle from the ceiling, dust and night bugs flicker in the ray of his flashlight, and he swears between his teeth that Chan owes him a fancy barbecue for making him come down here.

He swings the light around, trying to find where a crouched Chan might be hiding, until the light falls upon a boy. He’s facing away from him, and Jeongin doesn’t call out because suddenly his blood runs cold. Goosebumps flare up all over his body and his breath catches on the lump in his throat and ice spreads over him and he wants to bowel over, he wants to shut his eyes so tight but he can’t because the boy turns around.

It’s him. The same black hair in a bowl cut, the same fennec-like features, the same eyes that stare back at him.

Flight suppresses freeze as adrenaline jolts through his veins, as his body latches onto its primal instinct and every fibre in him screams, _run_.

Jeongin spins around and bolts out before the other Jeongin can open his mouth.  
He feels, he knows, if he hears him speak nothing will ever be the same.

Jeongin races up the stairs and it’s a miracle he doesn’t trip since he’s not even using his phone anymore, light swaying madly at his side, he runs, he frantically fumbles for the door and even in his panic, or because of his panic, he has half a mind to close it shut behind him, and he pushes against it, making sure it’s heavy, and he runs down the hallway, head swimming and he collides with a mass and he screams.

“Hey, hey!” a startled voice protests. “Innie, it’s me, it’s me!”

Oh thank god, Chan-hyung. Jeongin is hit with a wave of relief as the adrenaline washes off, and he collapses in his hyung’s arms.

“Innie, what’s going on?” Worry is obvious in Chan’s tone as Jeongin clings to him like a drowning man.

“Chan-hyung, we have to get out of here.” he stutters, tears welling up in his voice. “I couldn’t find you, and I-…”

“I came out of my hiding when I heard you make so much noise in the corridor.” Chan soothes him. “You just got scared, it’s okay Innie.”

And Jeongin wants to struggle and yell that no, it’s not, but he’s so weak and he doesn’t hear anything coming from behind them and the door is shut and he’s forgotten why we was so scared in the first place, it probably was just silly ghost stories plaguing his mind with irrational fears as is so often the case in that kind of place.

(If he turned around he would see there's no door there.)

“Since you’ve found me, let’s go back to the gym okay? I met Minho when he was going back and he told me I was the last one, but I didn’t expect to last this long!” Chan gloats and Jeongin can only nod.

Everything feels a little less scary with Chan holding his shoulder as they walk down the hallway to the gym. The moon gently shines upon them through the glass and their flashlights illuminate the way. When they meet everyone back at the gym, the others cheer and congratulate them with big pats on the back.

They all share stories of their experiences -most of them boring about hiding in the dark for minutes on end, but Seungmin excitedly tells about how he terrorised Jisung; while they pack their bags and make sure nothing is missing. Hyunjin asks to watch the footage he took but Jeongin suspects him of wanting to delete some embarrassing takes.

They’re going through the green clips, reminiscing and laughing at each other, when suddenly Minho falls silent. They all stop and look up to him, immobile as if listening for something.

“Did you guys hear that?” he enquires and they pause, confused.

The curtains of the stage seem to slowly sway in the wind and the darkness of the backstage to creep up like ink around them. Something creaks in the shadows.

The eight scream and spring up, grabbing whoever’s bag and bolting for the doors to the gym.  
They rush up the first floor hallway, Changbin clutching Jeongin’s hand and Hyunjin tugging on Jisung’s wrist, Chan ahead and Minho last. Chan opens the heavy glass door and holds it open, motioning for everyone to go through, and when he lets go it swings madly behind them.

Felix grabs the bike he had hidden in the bushes and they run through the woods without pause, leaves brushing at their hair and sticks snapping under their hurried feet, branches scratching at their bare arms and rocks rolling under their shoes, and they’re out of breath but the clearing is near, they reach the side of the road and only when Seungmin points at the lamp post do they slow down and come to a halt.

They heave and they pant, hunched over and holding their sides, sweat dripping down their brows and necks, and they share the same confused, haggard look.

Jeongin looks at his phone. It’s 11PM.

In the night sky, the moon looks down at them. If he closes one eye he sees a second one.

**Author's Note:**

> Boo.  
> In retrospect it wasn't all that scary, was it?  
> Remember how Chan said in the MV lore Jeongin is the only one to be aware of the existence of parallel universes :3c
> 
> The scary story Chan tells is actually the third one Hongseok shares in [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmoAEvF_YAc) video! (it's very good)  
> And if you like eerie, very atmospheric narration I cannot recommend enough the visual novel We Know The Devil on steam (cw christianity, internalised queerphobia), the soundtrack helped me during the writing process.
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts on this fic!


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